Every two years, in conjunction with the seating of each new Congress, AcademyHealth proposes a set of policy priorities to its Board of Directors for review and approval. These priorities act as a framework for the advocacy activities undertaken by AcademyHealth on behalf of our members and the field of health services research, and they guide both staff and the organization’s Committee on Advocacy and Public Policy in determining when to take action on legislation, regulations, guidance, and other opportunities that stand to shape the field.
This December, the Board approved AcademyHealth’s policy priorities for the 115th Congress:
- Building a Robust Environment to Produce Health Services Research
- Federal funding for research and the infrastructure – data, methods, and people – needed to produce it; including policies that uplift and model diversity, inclusion, and minority engagement in health services and policy research.
- Policies that encourage – and do not unnecessarily restrict – the production of health services research.
- Policies that enhance the quality, availability, timeliness, transparency, affordability, and governance of data and tools used to produce research and improve health care.
- Enhancing the Dissemination and use of Health Services Research
- Federal funding for research translation and dissemination.
- Policies that enhance – and do not unnecessarily restrict – the publication and dissemination of research results.
- Policies that encourage – and do not unnecessarily restrict – the use of health services research in decision-making in all settings.
Day in and day out, AcademyHealth works to ensure that the best evidence – evidence from our members and other bright minds working throughout health services and policy research – is used to inform policy and practice. Our advocacy efforts are core to that mission.
As your professional society and the leading organization for health services and policy research, it’s our job not only to make certain that health services research is represented in the national policy dialogue but that, when it is, the government creates policies that both reflect and encourage the uptake of its evidence.
As we move into 2017 AcademyHealth remains more committed than ever to its mission and our members. We enter this new year ready to capitalize on the many opportunities to promote the value of health services research and its ability to improve our health care system – a goal that transcends political affiliation. We hope you’ll join us in our efforts.
If you have any questions about AcademyHealth and our advocacy work, please contact Lindsey Horan or Kristin Rosengren.